{"id":23502,"date":"2013-01-25T18:42:06","date_gmt":"2013-01-25T17:42:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rt.com\/news\/rape-india-women-law-758\/"},"modified":"2013-01-25T18:42:06","modified_gmt":"2013-01-25T17:42:06","slug":"chilli-powder-and-knifes-given-to-women-in-mumbai-to-fend-off-rapists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/breaking-news\/chilli-powder-and-knifes-given-to-women-in-mumbai-to-fend-off-rapists\/","title":{"rendered":"Chilli powder and knifes given to women in Mumbai to fend off rapists"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"AFP<\/p>\n

AFP Photo \/ Punit Paranjpe<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The Shiv Sena party has handed out knifes and chilli powder to women in Mumbai to send a message to \u2018eve-teasers\u2019 after the fatal gang rape of a student in Delhi last month, which has ignited debate on India\u2019s appalling rise in sexual offenses.<\/p>\n

The Shiv Sena party, an ally of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has distributed 21,000 knives with 3-inch (7 cm) blades to women in Mumbai and its surrounding areas and plans to hand out a total of 100,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a symbolic gesture. Its only to pass a signal to eve-teasers, anti-social elements and perpetrators of crime against women that women are empowered and can take care of themselves,\u201d<\/em> said Rahul Narvekar, a spokesman for the party. Eve teasing is an Indian euphemism for molesting women.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid of using this knife if someone attacks you. We have set up a team of nine advocates to protect you from any potential court cases that may arise.\u201d<\/em> Ajay Chaudhari, who is running the knife campaign for Shiv Sena, was quoted as saying by the Party\u2019s newspaper, Saamana.<\/p>\n

The knifes, at only three inches, are shorter than six inches and therefore do not fit the definition of a weapon.<\/p>\n

However, Mumbai police said they were examining the knives and considering whether to pursue legal action.<\/p>\n

Women were also given small bags of chilli powder, apparently to throw into assailant\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

An attack on a woman on December 16th in New Delhi caused public outrage and brought the country\u2019s shocking rise in sexual attacks on women to the forefront of national debate. A rape is reported in India on average every 20 minutes, but those that go unreported in the world\u2019s second largest country are thought to be much higher.<\/p>\n

The victim, a 23-year old physiotherapy student, was raped and beaten on a moving bus and was then thrown bleeding onto a busy road in New Delhi. She died two weeks later in a hospital in Singapore. New Delhi is known as India\u2019s \u2018rape capital\u2019 whereas Mumbai is generally considered safer for women.<\/p>\n

As well as sparking national debate on the issue, a government commission has been set up to look at India\u2019s sex crimes laws and announced this week that if a woman kills an attacker during an attempted rape, she should be able to plead self-defense.<\/p>\n

As well as Chilli powder and knifes Indian women have been taking up self-defense classes and carrying pepper spray.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\n

\"AFP<\/p>\n

AFP Photo \/ Punit Paranjpe<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The Shiv Sena party has handed out knifes and chilli powder to women in Mumbai to send a message to ‘eve-teasers’ after the fatal gang rape of a student in Delhi last month, which has ignited debate on India’s appalling rise in sexual offenses.<\/p>\n

The Shiv Sena party, an ally of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has distributed 21,000 knives with 3-inch (7 cm) blades to women in Mumbai and its surrounding areas and plans to hand out a total of 100,000.<\/p>\n

“This is a symbolic gesture. Its only to pass a signal to eve-teasers, anti-social elements and perpetrators of crime against women that women are empowered and can take care of themselves,”<\/em> said Rahul Narvekar, a spokesman for the party. Eve teasing is an Indian euphemism for molesting women.<\/p>\n

“Don’t be afraid of using this knife if someone attacks you. We have set up a team of nine advocates to protect you from any potential court cases that may arise.”<\/em> Ajay Chaudhari, who is running the knife campaign for Shiv Sena, was quoted as saying by the Party’s newspaper, Saamana.<\/p>\n

The knifes, at only three inches, are shorter than six inches and therefore do not fit the definition of a weapon.<\/p>\n

However, Mumbai police said they were examining the knives and considering whether to pursue legal action.<\/p>\n

Women were also given small bags of chilli powder, apparently to throw into assailant’s eyes.<\/p>\n

An attack on a woman on December 16th in New Delhi caused public outrage and brought the country’s shocking rise in sexual attacks on women to the forefront of national debate. A rape is reported in India on average every 20 minutes, but those that go unreported in the world’s second largest country are thought to be much higher.<\/p>\n

The victim, a 23-year old physiotherapy student, was raped and beaten on a moving bus and was then thrown bleeding onto a busy road in New Delhi. She died two weeks later in a hospital in Singapore. New Delhi is known as India’s ‘rape capital’ whereas Mumbai is generally considered safer for women.<\/p>\n

As well as sparking national debate on the issue, a government commission has been set up to look at India’s sex crimes laws and announced this week that if a woman kills an attacker during an attempted rape, she should be able to plead self-defense.<\/p>\n

As well as Chilli powder and knifes Indian women have been taking up self-defense classes and carrying pepper spray.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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